Improvement in ditching and mole plows



E. H. MORTON.

Mole-Plow.

No 45,735. Patented Jan- 3, 1865.

Minus. FHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER WASKINGTON, D C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

E. n. MORTON, sun,

OF OXFORD, IOWA Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 45,735,dated January 3, 1865.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, E. H. MORTON, S11, of

Oxford, in the county of Johnson and State of Iowa, have invented a newand Improved Ditching or Mole Plow; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exactdeseription ofthe same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making apart of thisspecification, in which- Figure l is a side sectional view of myinvention, takenin the line 90 00, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan or top view ofthe same; Fig. 3, a horizontal section of'a portion of the same, takenin the line y y, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the twofigures.

This invention relates to a new and improved plow of that class whichare commonly termed mole-plows, and are used for forming subterraneandrains.

The invention consists in a novel mode of attaching the sweep to t thecapstan, whereby the former is rendered capable of being adjusted so asto be readily connected with and disconnected from the capstan, andadmit of the latter being turned when the plow-beam is drawn forwardwithout turning the sweep and without removing it from the machine.

The invention also consists in the employment or use of a sheave orpulley attached to the capstan-frame to serve as a guide for theplow-beam rope, as hereinafter set forth.

The invention also consists in an improved manner of attaching thecolter to the beam, whereby the former may be made to work at differentangles relatively with the latter, as may be desired, and the colter andmole readily drawn out of the earth.

The invention further consists in a novel attachment applied to theplow-beam, whereby the latter is more readily turned than heretofore.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a frame in which a capstan, B, is placed vertically, andaround which the plowbeam rope O is wound. On the upper end of thiscapstan there is fitted and permanently secured a horizontal bar, D, theouter end of which has a slot, a, made longitudinally in it,

the inner surfaces of the sides of said slot being faced with metal, andthe outer end ot'the bar rendered strong and durable by a trans versemetal bar, I). In the upper end of the capstan there is driven anuprightjournal, 0, on which the inner end ot'a sweep, E, is fitted, saidsweep having a metal strap, F, on its inner end to form an eye, (I,which is fitted on thejournal c, the latter having a pin, 0, passinghorizontally through it above F to retain the sweep on the journal. Theeye at is internally of conical form to admit of a slight vertical playof the sweep on thejonrnal 0, so that the former may be adjusted intoand out of the slot to of the bar D, the sweep, when out of said slot a,resting on a bail-shaped support, G, the lower ends of which are fittedin the frame A and allowed to work or turn freely an indentation made init to receive the sweep, and in the under side of the latter there are.two pins ff, between which the upper part of support from casuallyfalling or dropping, and the latter is turned up to support the sweepand keep it free from the bar D when it is not designed to have thesweep connected with the capstan. Vhen the sweep is to be connected withthe capstan the support G is turned down out of the way and the sweepfitted in the slot at. Thus by this simple arrangement the sweep may bereadily connected with and disconnected from the capstan.

Hrepresen ts the plow-beam, one end of which has a slot, 9, madevertically and longitudinally in it, and to the upper and lower surfacesof the slotted portion of the beam there are attached metal bars, I I,which are also slotted longitudinally, corresponding to the slot 9 inthe beam. At the back end of the upper bar, I, there are two lugs, h h,between which a square plate, J, is fitted on a horizontal pin, 2, thebearings of the latter being in the lugs h h, and at'the frontend of thelower bar, I, there are two similar lugs, between which a plate, J,precisely like J, is fitted in .the same way. These plates J J areplaced eceentrically on their pins z, and said plates are in line withthe slot at in the beam H.

slotaot' the beam H and between the two plates therein. The upper'partof this support has the support is fitted. These pins prevent the Krepresents a colter, which is fitted in the J J, the latter serving asbearings for the colter, and in consequence of the plates being placedeccentrically on the pins ii it will be seen that by turning said platesso as to bring different sides of the same in contact with the colterthe angle of same relatively with the beam may be varied as required.The back edge of the colter, near its upper end, has an oblique notch,j,made in it, and when it is desired to draw the colter from the earth thelower plate, J, is removed, its pin i being replaced and the back end ofthe beam H raised, and the pin 6 of the lower plate, J, will catch intonotch j and cause the colter and mole to be raised out of the earth.

The mole is not represented but it may be of the usual or any properform, and it is attached to the lower end of the colter K by means of aclevis, L, which is simply a rod bent in U form, with an eye, k, at eachend for a bolt or pin to pass through, said pin also passing through thefront end of the mole. The clevis L passes through a hole in the colter,and it, while firmly connecting the mole to the colter, prevents theformer from turning out of a proper Workin g position.

To the back end of the capstan-frame A there is attached a sheave orpulley, M, underneath which the beam-rope 0 passes. This sheave orpulley serves as a guide for the rope G, and keeps the latter downnearly parallel with the base of the frame A and still allows itsufficient play. The sheave or pulley obviates considerable friction andkeeps the rope O in such a position that it will not have a tendency toupset the capstan-frame while the latter is settling down and the stakespenetrating the earth at the commencement of each operation.

The colter and mole are drawn along under the operationof the capstan B,which is turned by animals attached to the sweep, the beam H beingplaced at a suitable distance from the frame A, and the latter providedwith stakes a which penetrate the earth and hold the frame firmly whilethe beam is drawn toward it and the colter and mole perform their work.When the frame A is again set for a succeeding operation the frame isdrawn out from H, the rope 0 being consequently unwound from thecapstan, which is rotated thereby, and the sweep E, during thisunwinding of the rope, is disconnected from the capstan, so that saidsweep cannot rotate with it.

N represents a shoe, which is formed of a piece of plank, secured by apivot-bolt, I)", to the under side of the front part of the beam H. Thisshoe is made of taper form, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, and a metallicring, 0", is placed on its front part, through which the rope 0 passes,said rope being attached toa clevis, d", at the front end of the beam H.This shoe N, in consequence of turning freely on its bolt 1)", admits ofthe beam H being freely turned when an angle is made, or when the courseof the colter or mole in the earth is changed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. Attaching the sweep E to the capstan Bby means of the journal 0 and slotted bar D on the latter, and the eye61 on the sweep, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with the sweep E, the adjustable bail-support G,constructed and applied to the capstan-frame A to operate as and for thepurpose described,

3. The securing of the colter K to the beam H through the medium of theslot a and adjustable plates J J, arranged substantially as herein setforth.

- E. H. MORTON, SR.

Witnesses:

LEANDER HARRINGTON, EDWARD H. MORTON, Jr.

